 Professor
Anthony Reid is a historian who has played a leading role in a new type
of historical research that has resulted in the creation of a different
historical viewpoint of the region. In his research into Southeast Asian
history, Professor Reid has systematically focused on the climate, the
population, and the various vital aspects of the everyday life of the
people that had previously been passed over. His work has incorporated
research into such subjects as diet, marriage, ceremonies, women, and
amusements.
After studying history
and economics at Victoria University of Wellington, he earned a Ph.D.
at the University of Cambridge. He later taught at many universities,
including the University of Malaya and the Australian National University,
continuing his research as well as the training of the next generation
of scholars.
The point of departure
for his research was the revolutionary period in Indonesia from 1945 to
1950. His work gained wide international acclaim, especially, for his
two-volume study, "Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce". Influenced
by the French historical school Les Annales, Professor Reid studied
an enormous number of historical records to create a new type of historical
research. His arguments are formulated from the perspective of the everyday
life of the people, and include both the shared and unique characteristics
of the nations of Southeast Asia created by large-scale maritime trade
from 1450 to 1680, as well as the diversity of the natural environment
and religion. His discoveries and insights from this regional research
created a new picture of Southeast Asia as a region linked to global historical
trends, winning him wide international recognition.
Professor Reid later
extended his field of inquiry to contemporary Southeast Asian historical
research. He has continued his wide-ranging studies, which include a comparative
examination of the position of Chinese in Southeast Asia and Jews in Central
Europe in the first half of the 20th century, as well as focusing on the
unification and internal conflicts of Indonesia.
Thus, Professor Reid
has created a landmark in Southeast Asian historical research and opened
a new field in this area by studying the everyday existance of the people
from many different perspectives, based on their daily lives filled with
energy and vitality. Professor Reid is the leading scholar in this field,
and a worthy choice for the Academic Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Culture
Prizes. |
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